Retired International Wolf Center director on upcoming hunt

Officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are expected to release details Monday on what will be Minnesota's first-ever wolf hunt. The hunt will happen later this year.

The DNR had actually previously issued guidelines for a hunt that called for no more than 400 wolves to be killed, but the agency revised the details after lawmakers weighed in this spring and passed legislation that formally establishes the hunt in Minnesota.

The hunt is possible after the wolf was removed from the endangered species list in the state.

One of the best-known wolf education outlets in Minnesota is the International Wolf Center, which has a building in Ely. Last week, Mary Ortiz retired as the center's executive director after leading the organization that she also helped co-found 25 years ago.

In those 25 years, attitudes towards wolves have changed dramatically, Ortiz said. She spoke to The Daily Circuit last week and said there's both good and bad elements to the upcoming wolf hunt.